Exile on Mainstream

posted in: Artist Features • Pop

Kelly Harper is going to dispel the nasty rumors that a beautiful blond is more fluff than substance. The problem with making a grandiose statement like this (besides coming off as a little vain) is that you have to have some serious chops to back it up. So does Harper? Depends on how you define substance. On Till This Goes Away, the artist merges her breathy coo with a staccato beat, before launching into a candy pop chorus”catchy as hell but sticky sweet. The punchy piano and electric guitar peals of Charm City offer more grit and swagger, but it’s a single serving. Harper, a singer-songwriter (and former model) from Lewistown Pennsylvania, seems more disposed to maudlin ballads with soaring melodies. Lyrically speaking, you’ve heard it all before. Of course, that’s because the mainstream loves this kind of sentimental fluff. (Yes, we said the f-word.) But here’s the thing”there’s a market for Harper’s music. It may not be edgy or original, but it’s accessible and familiar. And that kind of music sells. So our advice to Harper would be to stop worrying about substance, and rock the fluff.